


Per Aspera Ad Astra (Through Hardships Towards the Stars)

by show_me_the_universe



Category: Wicked - All Media Types
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2019-10-31 01:44:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17840051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/show_me_the_universe/pseuds/show_me_the_universe
Summary: Being gay was something that only happened in movies, only in stories, only in big cities like San Francisco and New York.Nobody was gay in Shiz, Kansas.Except for Elphaba Thropp, apparently.





	1. The Village

**Author's Note:**

> Okay first of all hi welcome to my first modern au
> 
> A few disclaimers here:
> 
> Yes, this fic is rated M. There will be heavier topics in this fic including intense homophobia, and references to abusive relationships, both familial and romantic. I'll list warnings on a chapter by chapter basis as necessary.
> 
> Another thing I need to mention is that this story kind of has organized religion, as an antagonist, so to speak? Specifically that special brand of conservative rural American Evangelicalism... I'm not sure how to word it, but like, Frex is the main antagonist and he's using religion to justify his shittiness, and many other people in the fic use religion to justify their shitty behavior. That being said, I think it's important to recognize that just because I'm more or less villifying religion and Christianity here doesn't mean that all religion is awful. Religion as a concept and an organization is actually really amazing, it just sucks when people use it to justify being an asshole.
> 
> And obviously, I claim no ownership to (most of) the characters. Gregory Maguire and Stephen Schwartz wrote the book and the musical, respectively.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's something wrong in the village...

_**Feel the rumors follow you from Monday all the way to Friday dinner.** _

_**You got one day of shelter, then it's Sunday, hell to pay,** _

_**You young lost sinner...** _

**Wrabel -- "The Village"**

* * *

 

Elphaba Thropp was different.

She was born with green skin, a mystery that still confused even the most experienced doctors in the state.

She was openly atheist, which posed a problem considering her father was the pastor of the only church in town.

She was gay. Not that anyone besides her girlfriend knew it. Was girlfriend even the right word? Did labels even matter if no one knew about their relationship?

Normally she’d be proud of her individuality, but in rural Kansas, being different was a dangerous game to play.

Unfortunately, she learned that lesson the hard way.

Emily wasn’t her girlfriend. That wasn’t the right word. They barely knew each other. Somehow their paths had crossed in school, somehow they each found out that the other wasn’t straight, and their relationship consisted almost entirely of making out in Elphaba’s truck.

One time, towards the end of summer, they had gotten a bit too daring. Emily’s parents were supposed to be out for the weekend, so she invited Elphaba over. Movie night quickly turned into making out, and they were both so invested in each other that neither of them heard the front door open.

“What in God’s name is going on here?” Emily's mom gasped. “Emily Marie Johansson, you’d better explain yourself!”

Elphaba ran out of the house, hearing Emily’s dad on the phone. “Mr. Thropp, you won’t believe what I just came home to-”

Elphaba’s eyes clouded with tears as she sped down the gravel road, away from Emily, away from Shiz, away from the future she didn’t want to face.

She stopped in a dead end, rolled down her window, and tried to focus on anything except her current situation. The night was cool, signaling the end of summer. School started in a week and a half, and she was dying to have something to do with her time again. She still needed to get her supplies, she realized, making a mental note to do that before next Tuesday.

After she had somewhat calmed down, she decided that she had to face the consequences. Hesitantly, she picked up her phone. The bright light of the screen cut through the darkness of the night, burning her eyes. She read through her notifications:

_**4 missed calls from Frex** _

_**1 new message from Frex** _

**_3 new messages from Emily_ **

She decided to deal with Emily first.

 Three separate texts:

**_\- I’m so fucking sorry_ **

**_\- they weren’t supposed to come home tonight_ **

**_\- maybe it was for the better though_ **

 Elphaba fought back tears as she typed her response.

**_\- For the better? You really think any good could come out of this? My dad already thinks I’m a heartless demon, now he’s found out I’m gay, I don’t think I can go home now!_ **

The response was almost instantaneous, four messages sent all in a row.

**\- I _know, elphaba. I’m sorry._**

**_\- I meant for the better like… we probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer anyway._ **

**_\- I don’t know about you, but I just wasn’t as emotionally involved in this as I probably should have been._ _hope you can find someone who cares about you in every way possible._ **

**_\- Y_ _ou're a great girl and you deserve the best. I just wasn’t the best for you._ **

Elphaba sighed. So this was it.

**_\- thanks em._ **

Her phone buzzed again. Another message from Frex.

**_\- Where the hell are you?_ **

**_\- Get home right now. We need to talk._ **

There wasn’t going to be any hiding from this, Elphaba realized, so why put it off?

She arrived home and made sure to leave her truck running in case she needed to make a quick escape.

“Elphaba.” Her father was sitting at the dinner table alone.

“Hello, Frex.”

“Sit down, Fabala. It’s been a while since we’ve talked.”

Elphaba sat down across from him.

“How are things? Are you ready for school to start? Junior year already, time sure does fly, doesn’t it?”

Elphaba rolled her eyes. “Listen, I know what you want to talk to me about, just get on with it.”

“Alright. Earlier tonight, I received a very… _disturbing_ phone call from Mr. Johansson. He said that you and his daughter were… that you…” He shuddered, clearly trying to abandon the thought, “Tell me it isn’t true, Elphaba, tell me that this is all part of some sick joke, that it’s your April fools prank five months too late, please just... tell me it isn’t true.”

“No, it’s absolutely true.” Elphaba said without hesitation, “Emily and I had a secret fling all summer, we kissed a lot, and I’m a lesbian. There. Are you happy?”

“Oh, my dear,” Frex sighed, “Things are becoming more difficult for you every day.”

“You’re… you’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you’d be furious, I thought you’d call me a disgrace, an abomination, a monster.”

“You’re not a monster, Fabi. I’m disappointed, I’m shocked, but these strange feelings you’ve succumbed to are just another thing that you can fix if you just-”

“Let God into my heart, I know.”

“Exactly.”

This wasn’t the first time Elphaba had heard this speech.

“I love you, and God loves you. We both want you to be happy, but this isn’t the way to go about it. Rejecting God and seducing women might seem like your ideal lifestyle, but it is not God’s ideal lifestyle. Luckily, you’re still young, there’s still time for you to change your ways. Come to church this Sunday, we’ll all say a prayer for you.”

“You don’t need to pray for me, Frex. Praying will change nothing. I’ll still be your green, atheist, lesbian abomination of a daughter.”

“I know you don’t care, but I’m going to pray anyway. I pray that someday you see the light, that you will find it in you to at least try welcoming God into your heart and into your life. Come to church and we’ll show you what a strong community we have here, I’ll show you that all the love you could ever need is right within reach. I’m not asking you to completely change, but I would like you to make an effort to improve your life. Maybe try dating a boy, try wearing a dress, wear a bit of makeup, like any other teenage girl would do.”

“So you want me to ‘improve my life’ by being what you think is a normal teenage girl? By being just like everyone else? By completely erasing who I am?”

“I’m not asking you to erase your entire identity, just… parts of it.”

“Only the parts you don’t agree with.”

“Only the parts that _God_ doesn’t agree with.”

“Which, by extension, are the parts that you don’t agree with.”

“Elphaba, I just want for you to be happy.”

“Oh, I am happy,” Elphaba said, fully aware of the snarky edge that was creeping into her tone, “I am just absolutely _gay_.”

“Elphaba, when I say I want you to be happy, I mean I want you to be able to go to heaven.”

“Why not hell? It’s warmer there. I feel like it’d be like a tropical vacation.”

Frex sighed as he stood up. “Clearly I’m not getting through to you. Continue your life of sin, then, see if I care. You’ll be wishing you listened to me when you arrive at the gates of hell and live through an eternity of pain and suffering.”

Elphaba rolled her eyes as she stood up and walked away. “Whatever. I gotta go, I left my keys in my car.”

“We will be continuing this conversation later, Elphaba.”

Elphaba sat in her truck, still idling in the driveway. Maybe she had been too open? Too sarcastic? Too rash? Maybe she should have denied the accusations, maybe she should have stayed in the closet.

Either way, what was done was done.

There would be repercussions from acting so impulsively, and Elphaba was terrified to find out what they were.

All she could do was wait.

* * *

The rest of the week passed by rather uneventfully. Elphaba kept herself busy and out of the house at her job at the grocery store, and when she was home she ignored Frex whenever possible.

Things were going more or less smoothly… until Sunday.

Elphaba had been dragged along to church, insisting that she would only go if she didn’t have to wear a dress.

She sat in the front row, in a button down shirt and pants, a stark contrast to all the girls in their pretty dresses.

She half-listened to her father’s sermon, with the overarching theme being something about how making the right choices can help you become better, even in the worst circumstances.

“And I’d like to end the service today with a living example of my message today. As you all know, I am the father to two wonderful daughters, both born into unfortunate situations. The younger of the two was born paralyzed from the waist down…”

Elphaba tuned out what he was saying. She already knew about her sister’s life, the entire town already knew.

“... and it would have been so easy for poor Nessie to give up and abandon hope, but she didn’t. She let God into her heart, and her life has been spectacular thus far. Isn’t that right, Nessa?”

“Yes,” Nessa smiled.

“My other daughter…” Elphaba shifted as all the eyes in the room settled on her, “Born with a most unnatural shade of skin, she’s been an outcast from the start. If she had welcomed the Lord into her life, would she be in a happier place now? Who knows? But as of right now, her heart is empty, she has closed out God from her life, and now, perhaps as a result of her faithless life, her mind is tainted with homosexual perversions, which, to my knowledge, she has indeed acted upon.”

Elphaba’s heart dropped through the floor.

“Fortunately, there is still time for her. Please, join me in a prayer, not only for my daughter, but for everyone who shuts out our Lord, for anyone with a twisted mind, let us pray that they see the light and that they are forgiven for their sins.”

As Frex led the congregation in prayer, Elphaba just stared at the wall.

Her dickhead of a father had outed her in front of the entire town and there was nothing she could do about it.

She felt numb. The anger, she knew, would come later. Right now, she felt nothing.

As everyone stood up to leave, Elphaba stayed frozen in her seat.

“Excuse me, Miss Thropp?”

Elphaba stood up so she could see who was talking to her.

“What?” She said, all too defensively. The girl who had approached her was… the most beautifully average girl she had ever seen. Her blond hair was perfectly curled, her soft pink dress was smooth and wrinkle-free, she looked incredibly- what was the word- put-together. However, as Elphaba looked closer, her blue eyes were glossing over with tears.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” the girl whispered, almost inaudible over the buzz of conversation filling the room. “I’m sorry that he did that, that he said those things about you. Regardless of whether or not what he said is true, he had no business telling everyone.”

“Glinda, dear!” A voice cut through the room, “Come on, now, we need to get going!”

“I’ll be right there, mom!” Glinda said before turning back to Elphaba, “I’ll… I’ll keep you in my thoughts. Stay safe.”

* * *

Elphaba walked home. The sky was almost as cloudy as her mind.

Frex, with no apparent hesitation, shame, or guilt, had outed her in front of virtually the entire town.

She had no idea what to do next, now that her entire world had changed. People had always been indifferent to her presence at best, and mildly rude at worst. She could tolerate the occasional snide remark or lingering glare, but she had no idea how people would treat her after this and frankly, she was terrified to find out.

She decided to head straight to work so she wouldn’t have to set foot inside her house. It was times like these she was glad she kept her uniform in her truck.

Smith’s Grocery was a tiny, family-owned store, and it didn’t have the biggest variety of products, but they certainly had more to offer than the gas station, the only other store in town.

Working at the grocery was not particularly exciting, but it was something to do and the pay was decent, 7.35 an hour, a whopping ten cents above minimum wage. All she did was stock shelves for hours on end. It wasn’t very fun, but money was money.

“Elphaba? Why are you here?” Cassie, one of her coworkers, asked as Elphaba walked into the break room.

“I’m here to work, why else would I be here?”

“You’re not on the schedule today. Or at all this week. Craig revised this week’s schedule this morning.”

“What? Why?”

“He didn’t say. He gave me a lot of your hours though and I’m pissed. The last days of summer and I’m stuck working. Scheduled for thirty-nine hours, cause if I work forty then they'll have to give me benefits...”

“Why would he just take me off the schedule?”

“I don’t know.” The bell at the front of the store tingled, signaling a customer. “I gotta get going.”

And then Elphaba was alone in the tiny, stuffy break room.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the contacts, clicking on Craig Smith, the store owner and her manager. 

Elphaba sighed as she sat down in the old, squeaky chair, the only chair in the break room. 

**_\- Hey, Craig, it’s Elphaba. Is there any reason you took me off the schedule for this week?_ **

**_\- Yes. I’ve been considering making some staffing and scheduling changes. We can talk later this week._ **

**_\- But why did you need to take me off the schedule entirely?_ **

**_\- Well... to put it simply... In light of recent events, it would be best for my business if you keep a low profile. We’ll talk later._ **

Elphaba’s hands were shaking as she typed out her response.

**_\- Okay. Thanks._ **

Elphaba shoved her phone into her pocket as she felt a crushingly familiar wave of anxiety crash over her. The air felt twice as stuffy as it had two minutes ago, the tick-tock of the clock on the wall sounded like thunder and the dull hum of the bright fluorescent light sounded like a jet engine.

Everything, it seemed, was crashing down.

She needed to get out of this stupid store, out of this awful town, even if just for the rest of the day.

School started on Tuesday. She still needed her supplies.

The nearest Wal-Mart was a 45 minute drive away, which could easily be dragged out to an hour or more if she took backroads. She could make a quick run to Wal-Mart last the rest of the day if she tried hard enough.

* * *

Driving between towns was boring, to say the least. Elphaba figured the reason the speed limit was 75 miles per hour was because most people wanted to get through the state as fast as possible and move on to more interesting places.

The billboards scattered in clusters along the side of the road provided some amusement… sometimes.

_Advertise your business here!_

_Are you going to heaven or hell when you die?_

_Visit the midpoint between New York City and San Francisco! Next Exit!_

 

After passing the cluster of billboards, Elphaba was confronted once again with the road stretching out in front of her and the endless expanse of prairie stretching in every direction as far as she could see.

She was alone with her thoughts.

So much had happened in such a short time…

Practically everyone in town knew she was gay now, and there was no turning back from that. There was no turning back time, no way of preventing any of this from happening. Everyone knew she was gay and there was nothing she could do about it except live through the consequences.

Although… running away from town for an impromptu Wal-Mart run was hardly facing the consequences.

She knew she’d have to go back at some point. Later tonight, or maybe tomorrow if she was lucky, she’d have to confront Frex about this.

Or maybe not. She could just ignore him. It would be easy, especially once school started, to just hide in her room and do homework after school, to completely avoid her father, to scurry downstairs and eat dinner as fast as possible, avoiding conversation.

Elphaba decided that she’d wait, that she’d cross that bridge with her father when she got there. She figured she’d know what to do when the time came.

As the road stretched onward, Elphaba’s mind wandered further. Why on earth did that girl approach her after church? What was her name- Glinda? They had spoken maybe twice before, and out of nowhere, in her most vulnerable moment, Glinda Upland had reached out to her. Why?

They had spoken for maybe thirty seconds, but somehow Glinda’s gentle voice and sparkling blue eyes had worked their way into the back of her mind.

No.

The last thing she needed now was to fall for another girl. They had only talked for a moment in passing, she was probably straight, and Elphaba knew she had absolutely no business catching any feelings for a straight girl she had just met.

She turned up the radio and pressed a little harder on the gas pedal, determined to outrun her racing thoughts.

It was only when she glanced down at the speedometer and saw she was going nearly 95 that she realized how tense she was. She took a deep breath and eased up on the gas.

She’d get to Wal-Mart eventually.

And then she’d get home.

In a couple days, she’d go back to school, she’d finally get back to a regular schedule, leaving behind the unpredictable chaos of summer.

Everything was going to happen eventually, so she figured that all she could do was wait and hope for the best.


	2. Astronaut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life can change so much in the blink of an eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops so ummmm it's accidentally been six months since I posted the first chapter of this fic. But rest assured I've been working hard on it, I actually completed an entire outline for the fic instead of just diving in headfirst, so that's nice.
> 
> I was looking forward to being able to get a TON of new chapters published over the summer while I had so much free time, but now it's the end of summer like I move back to school in like a week... and I'm not sure how much writing I'll get done once I have classes and everything to deal with... 
> 
> This fic will be well worth the wait, so I hope you can all bear with me during these long absences.
> 
> Also, I'd like to thank Melissa (tiniestgay on here, gayforthropp on tumblr) for beta'ing this fic and listening to all my ideas and rants, thank you SO much for your support 😊

_**Can anybody hear me?  Or am I talking to myself?** _

_**My mind is running empty, In the search for someone else** _

_**Who doesn't look right through me...** _

**Simple Plan -- "Astronaut"**

* * *

 

Glinda Upland was used to being lonely.

Her dad was a truck driver; he’d disappear for weeks on end as he traveled across the country to make deliveries.

Her mom, up until now, had worked as a journalist for the newspaper a few towns over. She had mostly worked from home, and when she did need to head to the office she would be back home within the same day. However, she had gotten a promotion to write for the paper in Kansas City, nearly 5 hours away. She’d still be mainly working from home, but if she ever did need to go to the offices she’d be away for at least a few days at a time.

Today would be their last day together as a complete family for the foreseeable future. 

The day was all planned out: church, then brunch at Nanny’s Diner, then a Sunday drive followed by ice cream at Dairy Queen. Then Glinda’s father would leave on his next delivery and her mother would leave for Kansas City.

And then she’d be alone.

She’d be completely alone while going through the absolutely chaotic experience of starting classes at the public high school. She had been homeschooled all her life and didn’t have a lot of friends as a result. Most of her free time was spent studying or working or practicing flute.

“Glinda, dear, are you almost ready to go?” Her mother called from upstairs.

“Yeah, just a minute.” Glinda looked over herself in the mirror. She went to church every week and she didn’t mind it, but the effort of getting all dressed up was a bit much sometimes. Normally she would wear a bit of makeup and try to make herself look nice, but the amount of effort she was expected to put into her appearance on Sundays was almost overwhelming, especially for so early in the morning on a weekend.

Going to church was not Glinda’s favorite activity. She didn’t hate it, but she figured there were probably better ways to spend a Sunday morning. Like sleeping in… what she wouldn’t give to be lying in bed in her pajamas right now.

“Glinda, let’s go, we’re going to be late!”

“I’m coming!”

Glinda took one last glance in the mirror, adjusting her perfectly curled hair and smoothing out the wrinkles in her pink dress. Satisfied with her appearance, she scurried up the stairs, threw on a pair of sandals and hurried out the door.

* * *

Church was, for the most part, the same routine as every week. Glinda’s family sat towards the left side of the room, next to the ornate stained glass windows. She could never quite pay attention to the sermon in its hour-long entirety. It’s not that she didn’t care- she just couldn’t maintain her focus for that long of a time- not when there were more interesting things on her mind. More often than not, she spent the time admiring the architecture of the old building, absolutely fascinated by the simple beauty of its design.

The church was small and old, but still beautiful and relatively simple in its design. The wood panels along the windows swept into magnificent arches that lead into the supports that crossed the ceiling. The stained glass windows were narrow, too narrow to have any actual designs, but the colorful light they cast when the sunlight hit them right was truly a sight to behold. 

Some parts of the church were less spectacular. The pews were made of creaky old wood. The seats and floor were covered in a thin carpet that was wearing away. The building had a distinctly dusty smell to it, probably because it was so old. 

Even though it was far from perfect, Glinda loved the tiny church, mainly because she had grown up there, because it was like her second home, even if it was just for an hour a week.

She turned and glanced at the clock at the back of the room. Somehow her mind had been wandering for nearly an entire hour. She decided she’d better pay attention to the last few minutes of the sermon.

“And I’d like to end today with a living example of my message. As you all know, I am the father of two wonderful daughters, both born into unfortunate situations. The younger of the two was born paralyzed from the waist down, making life for her extremely difficult. She cannot run and play like other children, she’s missed out on so much due to her disability. It would have been so easy for poor Nessie to give up and abandon hope, but she didn’t. She let God into her heart, and her life has been spectacular thus far. Isn’t that right, Nessa?”

“Yes,” Nessa smiled.

Glinda wished she had paid attention during the rest of the sermon. She wondered how the pastor sharing stories of his daughters related to the overarching theme from the day.

“My other daughter… Born with a most unnatural shade of skin, she’s been an outcast from the start. If she had welcomed the Lord into her life, would she be in a happier place now? Who knows? But as of right now, her heart is empty, she has closed out God from her life, and now, perhaps as a result of her faithless life, her mind is tainted with homosexual perversions, which, to my knowledge, she has indeed acted upon. Fortunately, there is still time for her. Please, join me in a prayer, not only for my daughter, but for everyone who shuts out our Lord, for anyone with a twisted mind, let us pray that they see the light and that they are forgiven for their sins.”

Glinda wasn’t stupid. She knew that gay people existed, and she didn’t even have that much of a problem with it. She had just never thought that they’d exist… around her. Being gay was something that only happened in movies, only in stories, only in big cities like San Francisco and New York. 

Nobody was gay in Shiz, Kansas. 

Except for Elphaba Thropp, apparently.

The prayer ended, and the service concluded. As everyone stood up, Glinda’s mother turned to her. “I’m going to go speak with Mr. Thropp, let him know of our extended departure.”

Glinda followed her mother towards the back of the room, where the pastor was shaking people’s hands as they left. She didn’t feel like standing around while she waited for the conversation to end, so she decided to wander around the room in search of any of the people she’d met at band camp the week before.

She’d made her way to the front row of pews, where she saw Elphaba sitting, staring blankly at the floor.

She looked so… alone.

Glinda didn’t know what to say, or if she should say anything for that matter. But she could see the loneliness in the girl’s empty gaze, and she had felt that exact same kind of loneliness before, albeit for completely different reasons.

She didn’t know the rules of being gay or having that secret exposed, or if there were any rules to this at all. She figured she should say something, try to offer some words of comfort, to do anything to help comfort this girl who’s life had just been completely changed in a matter of seconds.

“Um.. excuse me, Miss Thropp?”

“What?” Elphaba snapped, an agitated, venomous edge in her voice. Glinda instinctively took a half-step back. This girl was certainly intimidating.

“I…” Glinda couldn’t find the right words. Maybe this was a mistake. “I’m sorry he did that, that he said those things about you. Regardless of whether or not what he said was true, he had no business telling everyone like that.”

Glinda had no idea what she was saying or why. 

Elphaba just stared at her blankly.

“Glinda, dear!” Her mom called from across the room, “We need to get going!”

“I’ll be right there mom!” Glinda said before turning back to Elphaba. “I’ll keep you in my thoughts... Stay safe.”

Part of her was glad she had to go. She needed to escape the awkwardness of this spur of the moment, one sided conversation.

Another part of her wished she could stay and _actually_ talk to Elphaba.

But- she saw her mom at the door, growing impatient- that would have to wait until another day.

* * *

“And here’s your blueberry pancakes,” The waitress smiled as she set down the plate of food.

“Thank you,” Glinda said, and proceeded to pour berry syrup on her pancakes.

“So…” Glinda’s father started as they all began to eat their breakfast. “How are things, sunshine? Are you ready for school to start?”

“Not really.” Glinda replied before taking a sip of her water. “I have no clue what public school is like, I have no idea what to expect, I have no idea how I’m going to make friends.”

“Well, you just finished band camp, right?” Glinda’s mother spoke up, “Surely you’ve made a few friends there?”

“I mean, I tried to… But keep in mind all these people have been in band together since like sixth grade and they’ve been in school together since kindergarten, they’re not too welcoming of a newcomer like me.” Glinda poked at a blueberry on her plate, “They all have their friends, they really didn’t seem too interested in me.”

“You’ve got a tour of the school tomorrow though, right? I bet the student who gives you your tour will be nice! And spending a whole afternoon with someone one-on-one, you’re bound to become friends!”

“Maybe we will…” Glinda sighed as she set down her fork. Why were her parents so cheery when they were only hours away from practically abandoning her?

Of course, she was almost seventeen- she knew how to take care of herself, so being home alone wouldn’t be a problem. But at the same time… most girls her age had friends and boyfriends and a busy social life. Most girls her age had also been attending public school for nearly their entire lives as well; they all had an advantage, socially speaking. How would she ever get on pace with them?

A phone rang, startling Glinda out of her thoughts.

“Hello? Yes, this is Larena Upland.” Glinda looked up to see her mom talking on the phone, a concerned look spreading across her face, “A conference? Tonight!? I thought that was tomorrow! My apologies. Yes, I’ll make sure to leave as soon as possible. Yes. Mhm. Alright, thank you. See you then.”

There was a tense silence hanging over the family until Glinda’s mother spoke again, shoving her phone into her purse with an exasperated sigh and a half mumbled curse. “So… there’s a conference that I have to be at in Kansas City tonight. I could’ve sworn it was scheduled for tomorrow, but I must’ve read something wrong because I just got a call from my boss asking me about tonight’s conference. If I leave within the next half hour, I’ll just barely make it on time.” 

“Wait- so you’re leaving?” Glinda asked, “Right now?”

“I’m afraid so, hon.” Her mother’s eyes were sparkling with tears, “I hate to have our family time cut so short, but being late for the first big meeting is hardly the impression I want to give with my new company. Surely you understand, don’t you Glinda?”

“Yeah. I get it.” Glinda said with a careful smile, trying so desperately to hide her sadness. It seemed her new life of loneliness would come sooner than later after all.

* * *

Outside, clouds had begun to cover the once clear sky, and by the time Glinda and her family returned home, the sky was overcast and gloomy, a depressing sea of gray.

Within ten minutes of being home, Glinda’s mom had packed a suitcase and rushed towards the door. “Alright, I’ve gotta get going!”

Glinda sat on the couch as her parents took their sweet time saying goodbye. They really did love each other, sometimes so much that Glinda felt ignored.

“Glinda, honey, I’m so sorry I have to leave so soon, but I hope you have a great first week of school.” Glinda’s mom said with a parting hug, “I’ll be back by the weekend, alright? Love you bunches.”

“Love you too, mom. Safe travels.”

“Thanks, sugar. Bye!”

Just like that, her mother was gone, backing out of the gravel driveway in her shiny Prius, headed to her brand new job- five whole hours away, a rather pointless commute in Glinda’s opinion.

“Did you still want to go on that Sunday drive?”

“Not without mom.”

“What about Dairy Queen?”

“We just ate.”

“Glinda dear, what’s got you in such a bad mood? You’re never this gloomy, clearly something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong, dad.”

_Everything_ was wrong. She was going to start school- thrown into a world of chaos and drama with people she didn’t know. 

Her life was only days away from completely and fundamentally changing- and she would have no one at home to help her through these changes. 

She hoped and prayed that school would bring friendships and that the world would be a little less scary- but there was no guarantee, there was still a chance that she’d spend the final 2 years of her education more or less alone.

And… in the back of her mind- she couldn’t stop picturing Elphaba, sitting in the pews, heartbroken and alone. The way Elphaba had been treated like that- exposed in front of practically the entire town- that wasn’t right.

(She didn’t know why she was feeling so much sympathy for someone she hadn’t spoken to more than twice in her life.) 

I’m just nervous about school starting.” Glinda continued. “I’ll be fine, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“I know you’ll be fine. But if you ever feel like you need to talk about anything, you can always call me or your mom, we’re always here for you. She’ll be back by the weekend, and I should be able to finish this delivery within the next two weeks. You won’t be on your own for too long. And if you don’t mind, I might actually head out with my delivery a bit earlier too. The more miles I can get in today, the better.”

Of course. Everyone was leaving her sooner than later. “I don’t mind.” Glinda lied. “If you need to leave, you need to leave. It’s fine.”

“Thanks for understanding, pumpkin.” Glinda gasped as her dad hugged her- he was never a hugger. “Good luck at school, I love you.”

And then, only a few minutes later, her dad was gone.

And then… she was truly, completely alone.

* * *

Glinda woke up early the next morning, sitting in the empty silence of the dining room.

The house was too quiet.

She was alone… _really_ alone.

The quiet silence of the house left a pit in the bottom of her heart, and she began to cry, something she had needed to do for so long.

She had been lonely her entire life, with no real friends her age and not as much time with her parents as she would have liked- they claimed to love her and support her, but what use was love and support if they were never around to actually be there for her?

She sighed to herself as she realized there was no way she was going to make it through her orientation of the school on an empty stomach.

Glinda reheated her stale pancakes from the day before and ate in silence, tears still streaming down her face.

* * *

When she arrived at the school, Glinda made her way towards the office. She had just spent an entire week at the school for band camp, she already knew her way around well enough. An orientation was completely pointless, but administration said it was required of all new students.

“Hi,” Glinda approached the secretary’s desk, “I’m Glinda Upland; I’m here for new student orientation.”

“Glinda…” The secretary scrolled through a list on old, outdated computer, “Alright, I’ll print out your schedule and locker number for you, then we’ll get you started on your orientation.”

“Miss Upland!” Glinda was startled by a surprisingly loud voice, and she turned her attention to the principal’s office, “I’ve heard great things about you! Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Mrs. Morrible, principal of Tri-City Secondary School. I spoke with your private tutor a few weeks ago, and I must say I’m looking forward to teaching you. I’ve heard you’re very bright, and I expect greatness from you! Surely you’ll shine among the others here, and I’m certain you won’t disappoint. You’re a junior, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“In addition to being principal here, I also teach junior and senior year English classes. I look forward to seeing you in class tomorrow! Now, you’d better get started on your orientation. Have fun!”

Glinda sighed as she left the office. That principal sure was… outgoing. And loud. And dramatic. It was almost overwhelming talking to her for two minutes, Glinda had no idea how she was going to deal with her as a teacher every day for the next two years.

“So, I see you’ve met Horrible Morrible?”

Glinda looked up to see a girl about her age wearing a Tri-City Lions shirt. Her brown hair was pulled into a messy bun and her dark eyes sparkled with an almost eerie friendliness. There was a strange glow in her smile that made Glinda uneasy. But maybe she was only uneasy because she didn’t have the whole ‘social interaction’ thing mastered yet.

“Oh, I should probably introduce myself. I’m Pfannee Hall, junior class president, and I’ll be giving you your orientation today.” She eagerly shook Glinda’s hand, “Welcome to Tri-City High.”

“Thanks,” Glinda smiled shyly as she followed Pfannee down the hall.

“You’re in the marching band, right?” Pfannee asked.

“Yeah.”

“Then I assume you kind of know your way around already.”

“Sort of. I know where the band room is, and the gym, and the locker room, and the football fields. That’s about it.”

“That’s already like half the school then, you’ve got a huge head start compared to other new students.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s a small school, you’ll be fine.” Pfannee pointed to the left, down a hall. “That way is the middle school wing, so you won’t even have to worry about that. Music commons and locker rooms are down that hall behind us, but you already knew that. As far as the high school wing goes, it’s pretty easy: for the most part, the history and English classrooms are on the first floor, and the math and science classrooms are on the second floor. Follow me, I’ll show you where the junior lockers are.”

The tour of the school was short- it really was a small school- and for that Glinda was thankful. The tiny school only had air conditioning in a few science classrooms, and as a result the building was incredibly stuffy in the sweltering heat of late summer.

“And at the other end of the parking lot is the football stadium, and just past that is the practice fields. And really… that’s about it. It’s a small school.” 

“It really is.”

“So did you make any friends during band camp?”

“Honestly? Not really.”

“What about your old school- any friends from there?”

“I was homeschooled- the only people I ever really talked to were my parents and my tutor.”

“Any coworkers?”

“I mean- I don’t consider them my _friends_ by any means, but a few of them go to school here.”

“Wow girl, you _need_ to get a social life. Wanna hang out with me and a couple of my friends later today? I think you already know one of them, Milla plays flute in the marching band.”

“Oh yeah, I know her,” Glinda recalled the quiet, redheaded girl from band camp, “She seems nice.”

“Good, then you already know me and Milla, I’ll also invite Shenshen. She’s in band I think, but not marching band- she does cheer team with me.”

“You’re on the cheer team?”

“Yep! It’s a ton of fun, and the uniforms are so much cuter than those crusty old band uniforms. Short skirts, hair bows- it’s cute, and the football guys _love_ it, y’know?”

_Boys._ That was one aspect of ‘normal teenage life’ that she had completely forgotten about- it was probably going to be impossible to get a boyfriend in such a small school with so few people to choose from.

She quickly went through her mind, trying to think of any cute boys she’d seen at band camp. There was a short clarinet player a year younger than her who looked like he was in love with her at first sight- she couldn’t recall his name for the life of her. The senior drum major was easy on the eyes too, and so was the trumpet section leader- why didn’t she bother remembering names?!

“Glinda?”

“Huh?”

“You spaced out there for a second, you good?”

“Yeah I’m fine, it’s just- you mentioned the football guys and I started thinking about all the guys I met at band camp and how I’ve never had a boyfriend and-”

“Glinda, hold on- first and foremost, you need friends, that’s what I’m here for, and _then_ you can worry about boys. Although I doubt you’ll need to worry about finding one, I bet you’ll have guys lined up to date you within the first two weeks.”

“Really?”

“Of course. You’re new- we haven’t had a new student join our grade since… fifth grade, I think it was? Anyway, you’re the new girl, guys are gonna be lined up to check out someone new for a change. And even if you weren’t the new girl, I’d bet you’d still get a guy in no time- you’re gorgeous.”

“Um- thanks.” Glinda hoped she wasn’t blushing. She couldn’t tell if the girl’s compliments were sincere or not.

“Anyway, standing here in the parking lot isn’t getting us any closer to Dairy Queen. Oh, I can’t _wait_ for you to meet the girls, we’ll all exchange snaps and phone numbers, and I can tell you who the hottest guys on the football team are, and-”

Glinda tuned out Pfannee’s rambling as she slid into the passenger seat of her car. So this was it- she already met someone, and she was going to meet two more people today. This was the start of a brand new life, whether she liked it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> Follow my wicked/gelphie blog for updates on my writing progress: two-gay-witches


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